Hiver les Loups
by Blackcat0989
Summary: Humans have never been friends to Jack, unable to see him as they were. The animals, on the other hand, have always been kind to him, enough so that Jack made a wolf pack into his adoptive family. When Bunnymund comes calling on behalf of the Guardians, Jack is suspicious. How will he react to the summons? Will he help? Rated for safety. Cover by dewdrop34 on DA.
1. Chapter 1 : Quidam

_I loved Rise of the Guardians, so here's this (soon to be giant) fic in its honour. _

_Just a note, the chapter names are taken from Cirque du Soleil, it's surprising just how well some of them fit. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, though I will own a copy of the DVD when it comes out.  
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_**Quidam (Latin) : The nameless passerby**_

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**Chapter 1 – Quidam**

Sparkling frost flashed from the tip of Jack's staff, freezing the garden pond into a solid slab of ice as he soared overhead on a strong West wind. He laughed loudly, smirking as he froze windows and water fountains, coating roadsides and washing lines in ice. Snow danced in his wake, a blanket of the white powder already falling in the town and surrounding region.

Jack didn't know what the town was called, nor had any real desire to find out. All that mattered were the wonderful snow days and relentless blizzards which would dump even more snow on the ground, painting the world a beautiful, pure white.

After almost 300 years of being alone, was it any wonder why he'd stopped caring about the desires of others? Especially when they certainly didn't care about his wants and needs. The moon, he who drew Jack into this world, didn't seem to care enough to even tell him the answer to why he was needed in the world, and the people in the town couldn't see him, let alone touch him or hold a conversation with him, though sometimes it was nice to pretend.

His first and best friend was a large grey wolf, the alpha of his pack and the overall 'top dog' in his part of the forest. They had met over 150 years prior, when Jack had saved him from drowning after the river had swollen and swept him downstream. The alpha had immediately adopted him into the pack, sharing kills, shelter and company, the wolves becoming the family that Jack craved more than anything else, succeeding where humans failed. He'd protected the pack ever since, watching each new alpha take power and old ones pass on. The current alpha, who Jack called Regulus, was still new to his position as pack leader, relying on Jack to help guide the wolves through the winter, and the spirit was only too happy to help his family survive.

Jack bent over in the wind, swooping downward to land on a rock-crested hill on his hands and the balls of his feet, his wolf-fur cloak flaring out behind him. He lifted his head to the sky and released a howl, a greeting to his pack mates, a cry calling 'I'm here! I'm here!' to the ones who cared for him the most.

It wasn't long before the wolves materialised around him, pouncing on him and touching their noses to any part of his body within their reach. Jack rolled onto his side to bat playfully at Regulus' nose. He snorted and shook his shaggy head, the black fur between his ears becoming speckled with frost from the winter spirit's hands.

The pack settled around him after tiring themselves out, Regulus resting his head on Jack's knee and his mate lying by his side. The pack lifted their heads in unison, calling a howl to celebrate their beta and pack brother returning to them safely. Jack smiled, lifting his head to join in the howl.

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Bunnymund shuddered at the touch of frozen water on his feet, the tips of his fur becoming damp from the cold substance. Why did it have to be _him_ that went to find the frost-brat? He hated the cold, despised it even! He was a pooka, not a snow-hare, he was not adapted for such cold climates. North would be _far_ better suited to the task than he, comfortable as the man was in the cold of the North Pole.

Bunny shook his head, glancing at his yeti escort as he lifted his head into the wind, ears laid back and nose twitching for the other spirit's scent. He shuddered at the reverberating howls of a wolf pack, not very far away at all judging by the volume of the noise.

"Best be quick." He said, nodding to himself as he darted into the woods, casting frantically for a scent of the winter sprite. The yetis trooped after him, grunting to each other in their own guttural language.

Bunny stopped at the edge of a lake, the whole area thick with the smell of the sprite mixed with that of a pack of wolves. The pooka's ears went back, his hatred for the canines coming to the surface. He leaned against a tree, his nose twitching as Frost's scent came through again. It was stronger, as if the spirit was in the clearing with him...

Bunny jumped aside as a blast of cold crashed into the spot where he had been standing moments ago, sheets of ice creeping up the tree trunk with a forbidding crack. The pooka glanced around trying to figure out where the blast had come from, only to be interrupted by another icy blast.

A furious cry echoed around the clearing, a mixture between a wolf's howl, a mountain cat's roar and a human scream. A wooden staff came flying at his head, missing his ears by centimetres as Jack dropped down from the trees, his furry cloak flaring around his slight body.

"Oh, Bunny. It's you." Jack relaxed out of his battle stance, standing with his head resting against his staff. "What're you doing here? I was under the impression that you didn't like me. What prompted this little visit? You're not _still_ mad about '68, are you?"

"Yes, and I'll get ya back for that one day, mark my words." He thrust his boomerang forward threateningly. "But lucky for ya, I'm not here for revenge, this is about something else. Fellas."

Bunny watched impassively as North's yetis grabbed Jack's arms and hefted him off the ground. The winter sprite snarled in surprise, releasing several loud barks as he struggled in the furry giants' arms. Bunnymund's ears went back at the sound of growls reverberating around, the bushes rustling as a large pack of wolves materialised around them.

Jack barked again, eyes flashing savagely as the yetis tried to push him towards an open sack. The big male of the pack snarled, his long teeth bared as he and four other wolves leapt at the yetis, forcing them to drop Jack in order to protect themselves.

"Regulus," Jack called, summoning the wind to pull him away from the yetis. He yipped a quick order - most likely an order to retreat - before trying to escape himself.

He wasn't fast enough.

Bunny leapt into the air, snatching Jack as he tried to fly past and stuffed him into the fire-truck red sack. The white haired boy struggled wildly, a lupine howl echoing from the bag as the yetis tied it tight.

"Let me out!" Jack screamed, thrashing frantically. "Let me out let me out LET ME OUT!"

"No can do, mate." Bunny nodded to the yetis, watching as one pulled out a snow globe and smashed it, opening a portal to the North Pole. It rumbled at the rabbit, gesturing to the portal with a large clawed hand.

"Me? Hehehe, not on your nelly." He waved his paw dismissively. "See ya back at the Pole." He tapped the snow-covered ground, opening a hole to his extensive tunnel system. He leapt down into the warm darkness, just seeing the yetis toss Jack through the portal and several wolves leap at the yetis before the tunnel closed behind him.

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Jack struggled violently, forcing his way out of the bag once it had hit the ground. His head poked out of the opening, glancing left and right and barking for his pack.

He was in a room that he didn't recognise, lying on a plush red and gold rug in front of a blazing fireplace. A few paces away from where he lay was a large man, dressed in red and black with white hair and a long beard. Just off to the side hovered a colourful fairy, shooting orders at a swarm of mini fairies flitting beside her. A little golden man snoozed in a corner, completely dead to the world.

The wolves were nowhere to be seen. Jack couldn't help the relieved sigh. At least the pack was safe.

"There he is, Jack Frost!" The big man boomed, striding towards him as Jack worked his way out of the sack.

"Oh Fenrir, you wouldn't believe this..." Jack murmured, finally recognising the big man as Nicholas St North, Santa Claus himself. That must mean that he was at the North Pole.

"I hope the yetis treated you well." North continued, watching with a wide grin as a roughed up yeti tried to grab the snow sprite, only for the boy to nimbly pounce out of reach, his staff held ready in case of danger.

"Oh yeah," Jack drawled sarcastically. "I just _love_ being shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal."

"Really? Good! That was my idea! You know Bunny obviously."

"Obviously." Jack sneered. He gave a wolffish bark, making the rabbit flinch, and bared his teeth in a feral grin.

"And the Tooth Fairy." The fairy was suddenly up in his face, her violet eyes appearing very big so close to the winter sprite.

"Hello Jack! I've heard _so_ much about you, and your _teeth_!" She gushed, a half dozen mini fairies buzzing around his face.

"M... My wha-" Jack couldn't even finish his sentence before fingers were in his mouth, a demanding "let me see!" all the warning he got.

"Oh..." The moan she released could almost be considered orgasmic, making Jack feel very nervous. "They really _do_ sparkle like freshly fallen snow!"

The fairies squeaked happily, their little hands clasped under their chins and besotted expressions in their faces, flying around him like excited hummingbirds. Jack smiled. The little ones were cute, he'd let _them_ have their fun. Their 5" something boss was the one he inched away from.

"And the Sandman," North tapped the little golden man. "Sandy? Sandy? Wake up!" Jack smiled sympathetically as the man jolted awake, waving his hand in a tired greeting before he slumped again.

Jack waved his staff to get their attention. "So, anyone wanna tell me why I'm here?"

Sandy's hand immediately came up, little images made of sand appearing above his head. A moon, a snowflake, a strange looking human torso, a swirl similar to a tribal air symbol, a weird stumpy thing, and suddenly they were movingly too fast for Jack to keep up with.

"Um... Yeah that's not really helping, but thanks for trying, little man." Jack stood and walked away, tapping his staff on an elf's pointy hat to freeze the annoying little thing. "So was it something I did that brought you four together? Some prank gone wrong that I can't remember or something? Am I on the Naughty list?"

"_On_ Naughty list? You hold the record." Jack smirked. "But no matter, we overlook. Now we are wiping clean the slate."

Jack could physically _see_ their desire for him to ask. "How come?" He sighed and rolled his eyes, hugging his cloak closer to his body. 'This'd better be good.'

"How come?" North's voice almost shook with glee. "I tell you how come. Because now, you are Guardian!"

It was as if some kind of signal had been sent to the various creatures around the workshop. One minute there was silence, the next a full blown fan fair complete with brass music and flaming torches. Jack scowled, his eyes narrowed dangerously. The noises and growing crowd was starting to set off the instincts he'd developed with the wolves and he wanted nothing more than to escape the noise and heat.

Jack snarled, baring large canine teeth as he lifted his staff above his head, bringing it down with a resounding crash and the sizzle of forming ice. The elves went flying back, the yetis skidding along behind them.  
Silence reigned again.

"Are you for real?" Jack's glare could have frozen molten lava. "You ignore me for 300 years, and then suddenly decide to make me a Guardian? You're out of your minds! What the hell possessed you to think that I'd want to be one of you?"

The four stared at him, as if trying to figure out if what just occurred actually happened. Then there was booming laughter. North was bent over himself laughing, clutching some sort of book to his chest. Jack's glare darkened. The other three just glanced between the two, Tooth backing away a little, Bunny with a confused look on his face and Sandy with a little question mark floating above his head.

"Of course you want to be one of us." North said after calming down. "Music!"

"No music!" Jack snarled quickly, freezing a trumpet-baring elf that came too close and knocked it into the crowd with his staff.

"This is all very flattering, and I mean that in the broadest sense of the word, but let's get this straight. You don't want me. You're all about work and time limits and bringing joy to children. That's all well and good, but I'm not like that. I don't follow deadlines; I don't go out of my way to bring joy to children. I do things when I want to, not need to. I'm a winter spirit, not a toy giver. I'm not a Guardian."

"That's exactly what I said!" Bunny piped up from his place by the fire.

"Jack." Tooth fluttered to the sprite's side, gesturing for him to look at the giant globe rotating behind him. "I don't think you understand what it is we do." She swept her hand at the glowing lights dotting the globe. "Each of those lights is a child-"

"A child who believes." North put in, his voice suddenly serious. Jack growled furiously. "And good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them. Now no more wishy washy, Pitch is out there doing who knows what! We need to stop him before he harms children."

"How dare you?" North turned around, confused as to the anger in the smaller spirit. Jack stood with his head down, eyes hidden by his hair and shoulders shaking with rage. "How dare you!" His head was lifted, revealing eyes burning with ice fire. "You drag me here, expecting me to be compliant to your wishes and just do as you say, become a Guardian. And then you tell me this! Children who believe?! Protect them from Pitch?! Easy for you to say, you _have_ believers; have a reason to protect them! Why should I help you 'protect' them? They don't help me, they don't even _see_ me! My only 'believers' are a pack of wolves for Fenrir's sake! And as much as I may love them, they hardly appreciate my work like humans can." He panted hard, eyes still flashing with rage.

"You think we decide?" North interrupted, still infuriatingly calm. "No, you were chosen, just like the rest of us were, by Man in Moon."

Jack stiffened. "What?"

"Last night, he chose you Jack." Tooth said gently, still unnerved by the younger spirit's anger.

"Maybe." Bunny muttered.

"The Man in the Moon, he talks to you?"

"You see? You cannot say no. It is destiny."

"But..." Jack walked slowly towards the window through which then moon was visible. "But why wouldn't he tell me that himself?" The sprite groaned, running a hand through his white hair. "So, after three _hundred_ years, this is your answer, hm? To be like them for the rest of eternity? Hiding away from the world, spending the year thinking up new ways to bribe kids into believing? Oh no. That's _not for me_! And you are a fool to believe that I'd _ever_ roll over and accept this like some sort of obedient dog. I'm no one's bitch, Moon man, least of all yours."

He turned back to the Guardians. "I'm sorry that you had to go to all this trouble, but you really are better off without me. I'm the beta of my pack, they need me and I have no real desire to help the children." He laughed sadly. "It's not like they'd ever even know that I'm there anyway. For all that the children enjoy my snow; for all that I play around with them; chances are they'll never believe in me. Not a single one has in 300 years. That's gotta count for something."  
The Guardians shared a glance, their eyes darting from the moon to the world-weary, white-haired spirit.

"Jack." The boy looked up at the sound of North's voice. "Walk with me, please."

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	2. Chapter 2 : Remous

_Thank you all so much for your reviews! I never expected that this story would be liked by so many of you! Many thanks to anyone who reviewed, it gives me drive to write more and we all want new chapters, no?_

_Anyway, to clear something up quickly, the wolves didn't follow Jack through the portal. They tried, but the yetis stopped them. Don't worry though! They will return!  
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_Disclaimer: I don't own RotG  
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_**Remous (French) : Turmoil, swirl, eddy, backwash, shockwaves**_

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**Chapter 2 - Remous**

The workshop was everything that Jack imagined it to be and then some. The whole building was bursting with activity, big fuzzy yetis scrambling around in a state of organised chaos and the air was filled with the sounds of tinkling bells and guttural growling. Toy planes flew around the ceiling and strange flying jellyfish floated in the corners. Elves scampered around the yetis' feet, some stealing food and other small items, others wrapping Christmas lights around their kin and promptly electrocuting themselves. Jack found it positively stifling. He was starting to miss the open space and quiet of his pack's forest.

North was chatting with yetis as they passed by, signing clipboards and rejecting colours, demanding perfection. He nodded patiently at a group of elves, praising them as they painted a light-strung elf purple. Weird little creatures. A yeti groaned as North demanded for its whole pile of blue robots to be painted red, the poor yeti smacking its face into the desk several times before reaching for a paintbrush. Jack winced sympathetically.

They soon made it to North's personal office. The room was filled with beautiful ice sculptures, wooden toys hanging from the roof and a cheery fire burned in the fireplace. An elf waddled up to the man in red, bell jingling madly as it waved some sort of cake at its boss.

"Fruitcake?" North offered, snatching the cake from the elf's hands and sending it careening to the floor in a flail of limbs.

"No, thank you." Jack shook his head, tapping the remains of some sort of ice vehicle with his staff. The little ice pieces rose into the air, fitting themselves together until a tiny train with jet wings hovered in front of the winter spirit. He sent it flying to North's hand, missing the grateful smile the elder man directed at him before shaking his head.

The cake and ice-train was set back down on a table, followed immediately by the sound of cracking knuckles. Jack spun around, staff coming up defensively as North advanced on him.

"Now, down to business." North said lowly. Jack scrambled backwards, eyes widening as his back hit the door. "Who _are_ you, Jack Frost! What is your centre?"

"M-my centre?"

"If Man in Moon chose you to be Guardian, you must have something very special inside." Jack tilted his head, watching as North pulled away, chewing lightly on his thumb as he thought. The big man reached over to a set of shelves, picking up a matryoshka Santa doll and handing it to Jack.

"This is how you see me, no?" The doll was quite big, with the most nerve wracking expression on its face. Definitely not a happy doll. "Very big, intimidating." Got that right. "But if you get to know me a little... Well, go on!"

Jack carefully set his staff aside, pulling the top of the doll away to reveal the one inside. This one was strange too. Kinda happy looking, in a way that should've been cute, but really, really wasn't. "You are downright... Jolly?" Jack said with a confused grin.

"But not just jolly! I am also mysterious." The next doll wasn't mysterious, it was kinda stalkerish in Jack's opinion. "And fearless." Honestly, it looked murderous. "And caring." The reindeer was cute, the Santa, not so much. In its defence, it did look kind of caring though... "And at my centre -"

The final doll was dropped into North's big hand, revealing a baby wrapped in red linen. "There's a tiny wooden baby." Jack said, rubbing his forehead tiredly. It truly was exhausting dealing with the overly happy man for so long. The sprite was starting to see where Bunny's complaints were coming from.

"Look closer, what do you see?" Jack squinted at the doll, trying to pick out any interesting features. The only thing that came up were the eyes.

"It has big eyes?"

"Yes!" North really was too happy for his own good. "Big eyes! Very big! Because they are full of wonder." Jack turned around, watching with a soft smile as North moved further into the room, gesturing to all his icy and wooden inventions. "That is my centre, it is what I was born with! Eyes that could see the wonder in _everything_, that could see lights in the trees, and magic in the air. It is what I put into the world! And what I protect in children. It is what makes me a Guardian." Jack's mood immediately plummeted again, looking away as North turned back to him. He placed the little baby doll back into Jack's hand, the winter sprite looking up at the man with sadness shining in his eyes. "It is my centre, what is yours?"

Jack looked away. "I wish I knew. But really, why does it matter? I won't give in to the desires of the Man in the Moon, not after he abandoned me for so long."

The conversation was cut off as Bunny came rushing up, Sandy following behind.

"We have a problem, mate." The pooka said. "Trouble at the Tooth Palace."

Jack spun around as the sound of wings reached his ears, just glimpsing Tooth as she sped away from the Pole.

"Come on Jack!" North yelled, grabbing his coat, hat and swords as they left the office. He put a strong hand on the boy's back, pushing him along as they moved downwards, Jack only just managing to snatch his staff in time.

"No!" Jack shouted, struggling to get out from under North's hand as he was forced towards what he knew would be the sleigh. "I am _not_ going with you! There is no way I'm climbing into some rickety old -" he broke off as the sleigh itself came into sight; a large, red shape pulled by a team of six majestic reindeer. The sleigh itself was painted a bright Christmas red with a gold reindeer head on each side. Two wings spread out on either side, making the sleigh resemble a strange, squashed plane. "Sleigh..."

Jack stood there with his mouth gaping, he could see North smirking from the corner of his eye. "Okay." The sprite said decisively, hopping into the back. "One ride, but that's it."

"Everyone loves the sleigh." North said smugly. Jack couldn't find it in himself to blame the big man. The sleigh was pretty awesome. Of course, Bunny vigorously disagreed, but nothing could stop North when he'd made a decision.

The sleigh was soon rushing through a labyrinth of ice tunnels, stalactites and stalagmites directing their course into an ride like the roller coasters in amusement parks Jack had seen in his yearly travels. They twisted and turned and flipped completely over, rushing around corners until they burst out into the Arctic sunshine, launching off a ramp into the air.

Jack laughed with excitement, hopping up to the very back of the sleigh. There he perched, watching as the workshop disappeared into the snow and the wasteland stretched out all around them. Jack threw back his head, howling his joy to the sky like the wolves he had lived with for so long.

"Oi! Cut that out, mate! You're making me nervous!" Bunny said shakily, looking like he was fighting down the urge to vomit. Sandy looked as happy as ever, his hands in the air as if he were on a rollercoaster. Jack snickered at the image.

"Aww." Jack cooed. "Is the poor bunny rabbit scared of the big bad wolf?"

"You're no wolf, mate." Bunny countered. "But you sound an awful lot like the mangy beasts."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my pack, Bunny."

"Sorry." Bunny must have been feeling too sick to argue.

"It's fine, just don't do it again."

"I have short cut!" North yelled. Bunny promptly started panicking again.

"Oh strewth, I _knew _I should've taken the tunnels!"

North muttered something to the snow globe in his hand, throwing it out of the sleigh. It shattered in mid air, opening a portal to the Tooth Palace.

"Well, here we go." Jack murmured, holding on tight as they shot through the portal.

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The first thing that Jack noticed upon exiting the portal was the heat. The air was heavy with humidity, the scents of the surroundings forced to the ground by the heat in the air. It was so different to the crisp air of the winter forests, and it made Jack pine for home even more.

The second thing was the sounds of screaming, horses neighing and the buzz of thousands of fast-moving wings. All around the sleigh ran huge black horses, chasing and catching tiny green hummingbirds.

"No... Tooth Fairies!" Jack murmured, recognising the creatures from North's workshop.

The sleigh suddenly lurched from side to side, frantically trying to avoid being hit by the horses. Jack yelped as he was almost thrown over the side, clinging on tight as North struggled to get the sleigh under control again.

A squeal of terror caught his attention, a mini Tooth Fairy zipping around madly in an attempt to shake off her equine attacker. Jack leapt into the air, snatching the fairy out of the horses mouth before sinking back into the sleigh.

The fairy shivered, looking even smaller than she actually was in the palm of his hand. Jack's heart went out to her, his hands curling to cradle her small form as he crooned in the back of his throat to calm her. She smiled up at him, chattering softly in her own bird-like language as he tucked her into a fold in his fur cloak. "You'll be okay, little Baby Tooth. I'll keep you safe."

Jack turned sharp eyes onto the oncoming Nightmares, watching as the sleigh shot into a large crevice in the mountainside, the dark of the cave giving way to shimmering towers hanging from the roof like oversized bats. The sleigh flipped, the world somehow righting itself as they oriented themselves to the towers.

A Nightmare appeared in front of the reindeer, North quickly giving chase as the black horse tried to lose them in the towers. North growled, thrusting the reins into Jack's hands with a quick order to drive before he leapt onto the front of the sleigh, twin scimitars held at the ready. He slashed at the horse as they overtook it, several golden boxes falling into the bottom of the sleigh as the horse's stomach was split open with a sand-like hiss.

"They're stealing the teeth!" Bunny exclaimed, picking up one of the golden boxes. Sandy exchanged a worried look with the rabbit, his hand filled with black sand.

Jack's attention was grabbed as the reindeer jerked suddenly, swerving out of the way of an incoming tower and just managing to land rather shakily on a platform. The group sat dazed in the bottom of the sleigh, lying sprawled out on top of each other after being thrown from the landing.

North hopped out of the sleigh first, calling to Tooth as she fluttered around frantically.

"They took the fairies, and all the teeth!" She slowly lowered to the ground, kneeling on a platform several meters above their head. Bunny quickly hopped up to her, followed by North and Sandy as she sobbed into her hands. "They're all gone!"

Jack looked away, freeing Baby Tooth from where she was resting in his cloak. She shot up into the hands of her queen, bringing a smile of relief to the Tooth Fairy's face. Jack snatched the tooth canisters out from the bottom of the sleigh, tucking them into his cloak for later thought.

"I have to say, you know." A voice echoed around the Tooth Palace, the darkness in it sending Jack's instincts into overdrive. "This is all very exciting. The big four, all in one place! I'm a little starstruck." A man in black appeared on the rooftop above the Guardian's heads, staring down at them with a smirk on his face. "Did you like my show on the globe North? Got you all together, didn't it?"

North snarled, slashing the air with one of his swords.

"Pitch! You had better return my fairies and the teeth right now! Or else I'll -" Tooth flashed around the roof of the towers, glancing around as Pitch disappeared, only to reappear on the next roof over.

"You'll what? Put a coin under my pillow?"

"Why are you doing this?" North demanded, pointing a sword at Pitch.

"Maybe I want what you have. To be believed in!" Jack flinched at the words, his years of isolation flashing in his mind as he stared up at the dark man with sympathy in his eyes. "Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds!"

"Well, maybe that's exactly where you belong!" Bunny interjected, jumping in shock as Pitch disappeared only to materialise again below the Guardians.

"Oh, go suck an egg rabbit." he said with an air of exhaustion, as if talking to a perpetually naughty child. Bunny lunged down, his paw swiping through air as Pitch merged into the shadows again.

"Is that... Jack Frost?" Jack jumped at the mention of his name, spinning around wildly to find the source of the voice. "Since when are you all chummy?"

"We aren't." Jack said lowly, his instincts screaming that this man was dangerous. he crouched low to the ground, staring straight ahead as Pitch reformed on the same platform as the snow sprite.

"Very good, a neutral party. Well, I'm just going to ignore you, but you should be used to that, no?" Jack flinched, clutching his staff tighter as he fought back the memories.

"Pitch! You shadow-sneaking ratbag! Get back here!" Bunny screamed, boomerangs at the ready as he charged at the Boogieman, Tooth right behind. He skidded to a halt mere meters after passing Jack, watching as Pitch disappeared and reappeared on the roof again. Tooth followed, flying up to her target with a ferocious war cry. She drew back with a startled scream as a black horse reared in front of her, sharp hooves flashing in her face as it attacked.

Pitch sneered at the Guardians, running a hand down the horses neck. "Look familiar, Sandman?" the Nightmare King asked, allowing a handful of black sand to fall. "It took me a while to perfect this you know, turning dreams into nightmares." He laughed patronisingly. "Oh, don't be afraid, it only riles them up more. They can smell fear after all."

"Fear?" Bunny said, a hint of humour in his voice. "Of you? No one's been afraid of you since the Dark Ages!"

A nostalgic expression crossed Pitch's face. "Ah... the Dark Ages... everyone filled with such fear, how strong my powers became! What wonderful, wonderful times! But then the Man in the Moon chose you to chase away my darkness with your light and happiness and I was written off as just a bad dream! Oh no, there's no such _thing_ as the Boogieman!" Pitch's voice degenerated into a snarl. "Well, guess what, that's all about to change. My name will no longer be discarded as just a thing of the imagination!"

His angry sneer morphed into a satisfied smirk, watching as all around them the towers began to crumble. "Well well well... it's happening already."

"What? What's going on?" Jack asked softly, his eyes never straying from the Nightmare King.

"The... the children..." Tooth said quietly. "They don't believe in me anymore..."

"Already, children are waking up and realising the Tooth Fairy never came!" Pitch said gleefully. "It's such a little thing... but to a child..." Pitch waved his hand, his smirk widening. "Didn't they tell you Jack? It's _great_ being a Guardian! But there's a catch: if enough kids stop believing then everything protected in the children - wonder, hopes, dreams, memories - it all goes away! No more Easter, or Christmas, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing but fear and darkness, and me of course."

Bunny gave a cry of anger, launching his boomerangs at the Nightmare King. Pitch dodged out of the way, hopping onto his Nightmare's back as they leapt off the side of the tower. They plummeted straight down, the Guardians leaping after him in the hopes of catching the Boogieman. Jack hesitated momentarily, unsure if he should even get involved, before shaking his head and diving over the side, streamlining his body to gain as much speed as possible. The Nightmare bounced off the cave walls, hopping from surface to surface until it merged into the shadows, horse and rider disappearing from the Tooth Palace.

The Guardians landed in a little glade, glancing left and right trying to find Pitch. Jack landed lightly in the cherry blossom tree at the glade's centre, balancing easily on the thin branches as he watched the others look.

"He's already gone." Jack called down, crouching on his branch as the Guardians lowered their weapons. "He disappeared into the shadows."

"Damn it!" Bunny snarled, slashing the air angrily with a boomerang.

"Tooth." The fairy glanced up at the sound of her name, eyes widening as Jack pulled two gold canisters out from under his cloak. "These are yours?"

"Jack, you kept these safe?"

"While you lot were listening to Pitch rant, I hid these." Jack shrugged, flaring his cloak out to show the pockets and loops sewn into the lining, two more flashing as they were hit by the light. "Pitch was after them, so I assumed you didn't want them taken."

"Thank you, Jack." Tooth smiled, fluttering up into the tree to take back the canisters.

"I'm sorry about the fairies, I only managed to save the one." Jack said softly, fishing Baby Tooth out of a pocket. "She was the last one to be captured."

"You should have seen them." Tooth's voice was like that of a proud mother, cradling the little fairy close to her face. "They fought so bravely."

"But why would Pitch want the teeth?" Jack just couldn't understand what was so fascinating about the teeth, weren't they just fallen bits of enamel?

"It's not the teeth he wanted." Tooth explained. "It's the memories inside them. It's why we collect the teeth, to protect the most important memories of childhood. They're stored in the teeth when they fall and when children need them the most we help them remember." She gestured to the mural painted onto the stone wall, moving from the tree to hover over the water. "We had everyone's teeth here; humans, legends, even yours."

Jack stiffened, his grip on the tree branch tightening.

"What do you mean by that?" His voice was a low, nervous growl. "What do you mean my memories?"

"From when you were young, before you became Jack Frost!" Tooth said, confusing leaking into her voice.

"But I wasn't anyone before I was Jack Frost."

"Of course you were, we were all someone before we were chosen to become Legends."

"You must be joking." Jack snarled, eyes burning angrily. "If I had been someone, then why would I not remember it?"

"You don't remember?" Tooth gasped.

"So you're saying, that before I became this... this spirit," he spat the word out like poison. "I was someone, with a family, a home, with a life beyond the isolation of this existence?"

"Jack, you really have no idea who you were? Have no idea why you were chosen or what you were before?"

"Do you think if I remember, then I'll know why I'm here?" Jack was getting excited, more excited than he could ever remember being in his three hundred years of existence. "Can you show me?"

"I can't, Pitch has the teeth."

"Then we get them back!"

"I -" she cut herself off with a horrified gasp, several vibrant feathers floating to the ground. "No! The children!" The walls all around them started to shimmer, darkening bit by bit as belief started to disappear.

"NO!" North's booming voice broke through the mounting depression. "There is still time! Can still fix this!" he paced around, fingering his swords as he muttered to himself. Jack hugged his staff, looking down at North with amusement in his eyes. The man really was just too funny.

"IDEA!" North laughed, swinging his sword around and almost lopping off Bunny's head. The rabbit ducked, the sword just skimming the tips of his ears. "We can collect teeth! Then children still believe!"

"What!?" Tooth exclaimed, fluttering up to North's height. "We're talking millions of kids, on seven _continents_, how are we going to manage that!?"

"Oh please, you know how many toys I deliver in one night?"

"Or eggs I hide in one day?" Bunny said as he stood up straight, crossing his arms confidently. Sandy floated nearby, a wide grin on his face and both thumbs up.

"And Jack," the winter sprite looked down at the sound of his name. "If you help us, we will help you get back memories."

Jack was quiet, staring down at them with frosty blue eyes. the Guardians waited with bated breath. As much as they didn't want to admit it, they'd need all the help they could get.

"Very well," Jack finally said, nodding his head minutely. "But I expect you to keep your side of the bargain."

"Good!" North really was too happy for his own good. "Now, to the sleigh!"


	3. Chapter 3 : Gambade

_Thank you guys for all your reviews! I have nothing else to say, so on with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians_

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_**Gambade (French) : Caper, frolic, gambol, prance, leap**_

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**Chapter 3 – Gambade**

The sun had only just set when the Guardians arrived in Bangkok. The city was loud, busy and full of lights, the type of place Jack would have liked to plunge into his frozen chaos given the opportunity. As it was, there were thousands of teeth to collect, and Thailand really was too warm for snow and ice.

"Falling asleep, are ya Frostbite?" Bunny chuckled, sending a mocking smirk in the winter sprite's direction. "You can nap in the sleigh if ya want. We'll be fine withou'ch'ya."

"Oh, don't you worry about me, Kangaroo, I'm perfectly fine. I couldn't possibly leave you guys to do this on your own, you'd never get all the teeth without my help." Jack smiled over at the pooka, his mouth twitching as he saw the glare being directed at him.

"Is that a challenge, mate?" Bunny said lowly, eyes narrowed dangerously. In the front of the sleigh, North grinned widely, sensing an oncoming game. Tooth sighed, shaking her head and Sandy just shrugged, not seeing any merit in trying to stop the argument.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's just a thought on my part questioning your ability to perform in this task, Bunny Rabbit."

"Oh, you've asked for it now ya show pony. Let's see how you handle racing a rabbit." The sleigh hadn't even landed on the roof properly when Bunny leapt out, already racing towards the nearest house in search of teeth. Tooth and Sandy rolled their eyes, following at a slower pace as they started their own hunt for the teeth. North laughed, rushing to a nearby chimney to commence his own search, determined to beat both the rabbit and the winter sprite. Jack just sighed, moving to the middle of the roof and closed his eyes. He lifted his head slightly, sniffing intently.

Everything on Earth had its own special scent, a fact well known by the animals. It was simple work for a wolf to sniff out the difference between a crow and a pigeon, or a forest mouse and a sewer rat, or in this case a tooth in a city full of scents. The Guardians had no knowledge of his abilities - ones gained from living with the wolves for so long - and Jack had no qualms using said abilities against them.

The first tooth was mere meters away, missed completely by Bunny in his rush to embarrass the winter spirit. Jack snuck into the child's room, reaching under the boy's pillow for a small tooth. It was small and white and had a strong scent of mint mixed in with the tangy tooth smell, not a trace of blood or gum clinging to the small piece of bone. The child had obviously cleaned it up before placing it under the pillow.

Jack tucked the tooth into a pouch hidden in his cloak, joining the many others he'd already collected. The sprite reached into a pocket, pulling out a small coin - a collection of various currencies and values stolen or found over the years, mere trinkets that he didn't mind parting with - and placing it under the pillow as a gift. He'd remembered the tales he'd heard of the Tooth Fairy, of the trade system she held of swapping teeth for money. Bunny, North and Sandy had all forgotten, and he knew they were just swiping the teeth with nary a care. Jack couldn't help but smirk. They'd have to go back and fix that later.

It wasn't even twenty minutes later that they regrouped, each holding a bulging bag of teeth.

Tooth was ecstatic, buzzing around like a hummingbird on a sugar high. She praised them all, comparing them to her fairies, only to freeze a second later.  
"Uh... guys... have you been leaving gifts?" She finally asked, glancing at the Guardians.

They too froze, triumphant expressions morphing into guilty ones. "Uh... whoops?" Bunny said, scratching the back of his head ruefully.

"Oh MiM, didn't even _one_ of you leave something?" Tooth's voice was exasperated, fluttering back and forth in front of the line of 'workers'.

"I did." Jack said, smirking over at Bunnymund. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of coins. "Are these okay?"

"Yes, those are perfect!" Tooth grinned, pulling Jack into hug - completely missing the growing panic in the winter sprite at the touch - before turning to the others. "Go to a laundry or something and get some coins. You'll have to go back and leave the gifts in all the houses you've been to."

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The Guardians raced from city to city, collecting the teeth from under the pillows of children and leaving behind all manner of gifts and trinkets in their place. Jack had to admit that it was getting rather ridiculous. Since when did the Tooth Fairy leave Easter eggs or Christmas trees (complete with wrapped presents) as gifts?  
"As long as there's a gift." Tooth had shrugged when he'd asked, quickly slipping a coin under a little girl's pillow before zipping out the window.

It was amazing how fast they were clearing countries, over 400 cities and townships in countless time zones in the span of one night. It was interesting for Jack to watch, to truly see how the Guardians worked with each other, how spirits were supposed to interact with each other. It was heart-warming, but it was also saddening. Jack had never known that sort of closeness, the sort of friendship that the Guardians shared with each other.

Jack shook his head, clearing his mind for the seventh time in as many minutes. The little boy in front of him had lost four teeth - four! - the day before after getting in a fight at school for one reason or another. The winter sprite snatched up the teeth, dropping four coins beside the pillow before exiting the building.

That brought his tooth count up to somewhere around 8000. Bunny was sitting comfortably at 7500 give or take, safe in the knowledge that Jack hadn't found as many as he had. North was somewhere around 7500 as well. Tooth and Sandy weren't participating in the 'competition', leaving their numbers uncounted.

Jack snickered, tucking the teeth away as he flew to the next house.

It was a familiar building, one he'd stood outside of and watched as the children went to sleep, the kind mother tucking in her precious ones and kissing them goodnight. That was barely five hours ago, US time. Young Jamie was still asleep, his tooth tucked safely under his pillow and his hands wrapped around the paw of his sleeping dog.

Jack smiled, entering quietly via the window, almost running into Tooth as she moved around the bed.

"Left central incisor." Tooth said, smiling knowingly at Jack. "Knocked out in a freak sledding accident. I wonder how that could have happened?"

"Um... Wasn't me?" Jack grinned, attempting to pass the blame. "Kids, you know?"

Tooth just smiled, slipping a coin under the pillow after tucking the tooth away in a pouch.

"This was always the part I loved the most." She said, floating higher to look at the boy's sleeping face. "Seeing the kids..."

"Why did you stop?" Jack asked, wrapping his cloak around his body. "If you loved it so much, why did you give the task to others?"

"I... I don't really know. Things got chaotic, disorganised, and I ended up having to stay at the Palace to make sure that everything ran smoothly. Eventually, I just forgot what it was like I suppose..."

"Why don't you teach one if the mini fairies to do your job? Show them what to do in order to keep things running as they should so that you can go out more often? When was the last time you left the Tooth Palace?"

"About... Four hundred and fifty years ago, give or take." Tooth sighed, lowering her head. "You're right, maybe I shouldn't have taken on all that responsibility by myself. But which one should take over? Most of them would panic and everything would fall apart. They're a lot like North's elves in that way."

"What about Baby Tooth?" Jack asked, smiling as the little fairy appeared at the sound of her name. "She took her sisters being kidnapped pretty well. I think she'd be able to handle the responsibility, maybe not all the time, but enough to give you the chance to get out sometimes."

Baby Tooth squeaked softly, her eyes wide and a huge grin splitting her face.

She buzzed to Jack's side, hugging his cheek in gratitude for the faith he showed her. Jack smiled back, stroking her feathered head with his forefinger.

Tooth smiled, floating to the winter sprite's side. "Thank you for helping me, Jack." She said, resting a hand on his nest of white hair. "You didn't need to, but you did anyway."

"I helped because its not fair for others to suffer just because the children don't believe. If I can help convince children to believe in someone, even if it isn't me, then I will. Then there's the thing about my memories." Jack sighed, closing his eyes. "It makes me uneasy. I want them back, I want them back so much that I can barely describe it, and I'd accept any help I can find to get them. But at the same time, do I really want to know? What could have happened that was so terrible that I had to forget my former life? How would it affect me to know? Am I really being inconvenienced by not knowing?"

"I don't know," Tooth said quietly. "But I wish I had known about them sooner. I could have helped you before this mess even began."

"Don't worry about me for now, we'll just fix this first and then deal with -"Jack broke off, sniffing the air and listening intently. "We're about to have company."

"There you are!" North's booming voice came right on time, the big man just barely squeezing into the room with Sandy close behind. Tooth quickly shushed him, gesturing frantically towards the sleeping child. North just grinned, shuffling over to allow Sandy room to move.

"How're you feeling?" North asked, trying to keep his voice low.

"So much better." Tooth's voice was relieved. "I can feel the belief again, and it feels _wonderful_."

"Good, good!" North grinned, shaking his fist in delight. Sandy smiled, holding up a thumb.

"Oh of course..." Bunny's rough Australian accent came through loud and clear, one of his rabbit holes opening in a corner of the room. "You all conspire together to make sure I get last place, eh?"

"Hush Bunny!" Tooth hissed, once again gesturing wildly at the sleeping boy. "Sleeping child here!"

Bunny winced, sending an apologetic look at the large fairy.

"Oh Bunny..." Jack's voice was soft and sad. "I'm heartbroken. I can't believe you think that I'd need the help of others to win against you. I'm more than capable of kicking your arse without assistance."

Jack could physically see the anger rising in the pooka.

"You think you're so great, don't you?" Bunny sneered. "I'd like to see you beat this!" He pulled a great red sack from behind his back. "Well, what about the rest of you?"

Sandy and Tooth just shrugged, neither of them had been participating in the competition and so weren't getting involved. North drew out a bag about the same size as Bunny's, putting it on the ground by his feet with a rattling sound like marbles knocking against each other. Jack smirked, pulling out his own bag of teeth. He was pleased to see Bunny's eyes open very wide in shock.

"How's this? Is it enough?" The winter sprite asked, his voice just too innocent.

Bunny only got more infuriated.

"Why you bloody -" he broke off as a light flashed in his eyes, coming from a torch being held by the boy on the bed. The five spirits stood staring in shock as the kid moved the light from one figure to the next, his eyes getting larger and larger by the second.

"Santa?" He murmured. "The Sandman? Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy! I knew you'd come!"

Tooth giggled worriedly. Children weren't supposed to wake up when she was collecting their teeth. "Surprise!" She said, sounding suspiciously hysterical. "We came!"

"He can see?" Jack asked quietly, moving backwards as he realised that the kid was awake and looking right at them. He tried to squash the hope that bloomed in his chest. _Maybe this time...?_

"Not all of us." Bunny said, glancing quickly at Jack with something close to sympathy in his eyes. Jack looked away, the hope completely crushed once again.

"Uh guys? He's still awake." Tooth pointed out.

"Sandy, knock him out." Bunny ordered. The Sandman punched his fist into his palm, approaching the bed with an almost menacing aura. Bunny rolled his eyes. "I meant with the dreamsand, you drongo!" Sandy looked at the rabbit sheepishly.

A ferocious growling started up from the head of the bed, a steely greyhound prowling up towards them with her teeth bared.

"Oh boy." Bunny's eyes went very wide.

"Abby! No!" Jamie cried out. Lunging for the dog's collar. "That's the _Easter Bunny_! No, Abby, down!"

Bunny slowly lowered himself to the ground, one paw held out to the dog in an attempt to keep it calm. "Alright, nobody panic."

Jack snickered. "That's a, uh, that's a greyhound. Do you know what greyhounds _do_ to rabbits?"

Bunny sent him a scathing glare.

Jack just laughed harder. "You can't fix this with painted eggs and chocolate, Fluffy. Let me deal with the dog, 'kay?"

Bunny nodded, backing away as slowly as possible.

Jack stepped in front of the dog, his head held high and his stance defiant. He barked loudly, staring straight into Abby's eyes challengingly. She froze, listening as the winter sprite spoke to her in barks, yips and growls, demanding as pack beta that she desist with threaten his pack mates and back down _immediately_. The dog refused, growling more furiously than before and stepping forward.

Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously, baring his teeth at the dog as she snapped at him. The winter sprite grabbed her around the throat and forced her down, snarling viciously in the greyhound's face. Abby whined apologetically, her tail going between her hind legs as she gave up the fight. The dog lay on the bed as Jack let her go, rolling onto her back in a show of submission and whining apologies. Jack barked softly and nodded, satisfied with the display, before stepping back.

The other Guardians watched, mystified and somewhat disturbed by the exchange.

"Jack," Tooth's voice was filled with awe. "How did you...?"

"For a long time, my only family has been a wolf pack. It's only natural that I learn to speak their language. You are damn lucky that animals can see me you know." Jack waved his hand, directing the dog to go back to her master's side with several grunting barks. Jamie just sat there with his mouth open, trying to figure out just who made his notoriously vicious dog back down so quickly.

Sandy took the opportunity to knock the boy out with the dreamsand. Tooth quickly tucked him back into bed, smoothing out his hair with a tender smile.

"Fenrir helped me learn when I first became his beta. He didn't have a full pack at the time so we could sneak away often." Jack smiled faintly, his eyes clouding over with memories. "They were my family. They gave me friendship, companionship, love. I'd do anything to ensure their survival, learning their language was the least I could do." He smirked mischievously. "I learnt to speak the languages of all snow-dwelling creatures; birds, cats, dogs, bears, foxes, rabbits, caribou. What else is there to do in three hundred years?"

"What did you say to the dog?" Tooth asked as she fluttered back to the group, trying to turn the conversation away from the winter sprite's century-long isolation. Jack's answer was more startling than she imagined.

"I told her to stop threatening my pack mates."

"P... Pack mates?" Bunny stammered, eyes going wide and his ears lying back against his skull.

"Yes, Bunny, pack mates. Family if you need another word. Canine family groups are called packs."

"You... Consider us... Family?" Tooth said softly.

"I consider you the possibility of a family, not an actual one." Jack looked away, embarrassment clear in his eyes. "L-Let's get out of here. I'd rather avoid another run in with a dog, Bunny may not survive the encounter next time."

"Oh, rack off you bloody mug!" Bunny snarled and reached for one of his boomerangs.

Jack quickly leapt out the window, head thrown back as he howled his laughter, snow falling in his wake. Tooth and Sandy followed, more to get out of the crowded room than to escape Bunny's wrath or Jack's teasing. North just sighed, shedding his heavy coat momentarily to shake off some snow that had gotten on it.

The two were dragged from their thoughts by Tooth shrill cry from just outside the window, the fairy informing the other Guardians about the escaping Nightmare.

North leapt out of Jamie's room, Bunny following close behind. Neither noticed the snow globe fall from North's jacket, opening a portal and whisking a little girl away from her brother's room and into the Easter Bunny's warren.


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